


Crossing Paths Through History

by belltrigger



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: America is only mentioned in this really, Blood and Violence, Gen, Hetalia Countries Using Human Names, Historical Hetalia, Human & Country Names Used (Hetalia), M/M, Multi-Era, Nazi Prussia, Prussia and England interacting through their histories, Sometimes friends sometimes lovers sometimes allies sometimes enemies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24383341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belltrigger/pseuds/belltrigger
Summary: Things are never quite the same each time he runs into Prussia, but he'll always adapt to keep himself going. Maybe, just maybe, things will turn out alright.
Relationships: England & Prussia (Hetalia), England/Prussia (Hetalia)
Kudos: 21





	Crossing Paths Through History

“You’re an awful long way from your land, German.”

A mere smirk from the pale haired man, the cool night air causing his breath to cloud every time he exhaled. It was just passing out of the twilight hours in London, and Arthur tapped the light out of his pipe, crushing the slight burning ember with his heel. He wasn’t in a mood to deal with Gilbert’s oddity tonight; he was preoccupied with thoughts of his most troublesome colony of the moment - Alfred’s homeland. 

“Whatever you want, sod off. I don’t have the tolerance tonight.”

“Who said I wanted anything?” The man who embodied the nation, nay kingdom, Prussia grinned, taking a few more steps closer. Arthur didn’t want to admit he was impressed, Gilbert’s well-trained steps hardly making a sound on the cobblestone as he approached, despite wearing hard-soled military boots.

Different from the last time they approached each other, and even more different from the time prior. Being separated by land and sea, they were not exactly the closest, but deep down, they shared similar traits.

“You wouldn’t travel such a distance when you don’t want anything. Don’t you have enough problems back in your land?” Arthur wished he hadn’t put out his tobacco - his fingers itched to search his pockets for more, but he did not give in to the temptation. 

“Actually, I was more interested in your problems. We totally got it covered back at my place.” He smiled, clearly thinking of his leader. Arthur hadn’t seen someone so pleased with their own ruler in a long time. He sort of missed when he was so proud of his own - not to say he was displeased with them now. In fact he was incredibly fond of most of his rulers for some time. There were only a handful that he was particularly sullen with… but Gilbert’s smile practically broke the borders of his cheeks, he smiled so broadly at the mere thought of “Fritz.”

“I don’t have any problems. At the very least, none that someone like you should worry about” He paused, seriously reconsidering finding more tobacco, and then added, “It’s just a stupid colony acting up. I’ve had lots worse.”

“Wanna get a drink and tell me about it?” His red eyes obviously lit up, even in the dark of the evening, as if he was already in the tavern, downing mugs of beer. Arthur highly suspected he just wanted to have a drinking buddy, but in all honesty, he could use a drink too.

“Yes for the drink, no on telling you about it. We should talk of something more pleasant.” But he turned towards the nearest pub anyway, motioning with a vague wave for Gilbert to follow.

Anyone else might’ve taken the gesture as either dismissive, or perhaps condescending, but Gilbert merely laughed and trailed after him, stopping occasionally to study some thing or another. Arthur continued walking, knowing the soldier behind him wouldn’t lag too far behind.

However, Gilbert had a habit of stopping and studying something if he found it interesting, and often pulled out a little book from his coat pocket to jot notes down, laughing to himself over whatever tidbit he’d found. 

That notebook, Arthur thought, as he stopped and turned to watch Gilbert when he stopped for the fourth time. He’d seem him write in that thing before…

\-------------  
“What are you writing there?”

A private laugh as Gilbert’s eyes ran over whatever he’d just written, and then he brought the piercing gaze up to his bloodied comrade. “Just something I wanna remember for later. I was so awesome today.” He went right back to his book after he finished speaking, having already thought of something else he ‘needed’ to have in writing.

They’d hardly just gotten off the battlefield together -something Arthur would have never imagined if you’d asked him some years ago- and already Gilbert was distracted from the day’s victory, hand scrabbling quickly over the pages of his little book. He laughed the whole time he wrote, ignoring the blood still on his uniform, hands, and even some in his hair.

Arthur huffed a little, but tried to act as though the sound had merely come from another source, certainly not from him! He was still adjusting to his decision to be a proper young man, but the thought had apparently completely flew over Gilbert’s tousled hair.

“I might even be writing about you.” Arthur started at the uncoaxed, but invited, information, turning green eyes to Gilbert, who was watching him with a predatory smirk - Gilbert’s usual smile when he’d been in battle recently. 

“Why were you focusing on me in the battlefield?” He put unnecessary emphasis on the word ‘me’ in the form of a squeak as Gilbert suddenly rose, suddenly advancing on him.

“Who said what you did on the battlefield is what interested me?”  
\-------------

Arthur coughed as that particular memory was cut short in his mind - that was certainly not what he had planned on thinking of when he’d tried to remember where he’d seen that notebook before… He glared in the direction that Gilbert was when he’d started to reminisce, but then blinked in surprised when the Prussian man was not where he’d expected him to be. 

He whirled round to see Gilbert chatting with some English men who happened to be out on the street. It was a good thing the German language was such a close cousin to English, as Gilbert seemed quite at ease speaking to the men. Maybe he managed to sound dignified in English…

Moving over to the trio, Arthur had to suppress a wince when the men give him a slightly nervous look as he approached. While many of the military seemed quite comfortable with him being… well, being their _country_ , some of the normal citizens had strange ideas about him. Such as the idea that he was interconnected with the police and military, and that any familiarity towards him would be seen as disrespectful, worthy of being thrown in a dungeon or some such. 

They must not have realized the silver-haired man talking animatedly with them was the same sort of being…

“Oh, there you are. I thought maybe your brain spilled out your ears, and you were content being a statue for the rest of your days” The ‘loving’ sentiment was followed by a laugh, while the men merely looked between the two, clearly trying to discern their place.

“I only stopped because you were being an idiot and staring at the walls!” Arthur couldn’t help but bite back a retort - he’d never been able to hold his tongue unless in a serious meeting.

“Well, then, I’m content to be an idiot if you are as well!” He punctuated his sentence by wrapping an arm around Arthur’s shoulder, and tugging him close. However, his attention was turned back to the men. “And a good evening to _you,_ gentlemen! My friend and I have a date with the bottom of a beer stein!” And with that, leaving the two men with something to brag to their wives and friends about, Gilbert promptly dragged Arthur to the pub.

“I don’t understand you, at all!” was all Arthur could manage as he was dragged. For his part, all Gilbert did was laugh.  
\-------------

That laughter nearly made him sick, and he whipped -or tried to- an arm out to punch, hit, slap at that face for constantly laughing. Instead, his arm just flopped uselessly, not moving in the direction or manner that he wished.

Arthur gritted his teeth as his attempts merely made Gilbert laugh more, not jovial like Arthur was used to, but mocking. Mocking _him!_ A sob was blocked by his clenched teeth, not wanting the black-clad man to hear how the situation was tearing him apart.

Gilbert bent at the waist, the skull on his hat glinting in the small amount of sunlight that was able to get through the billowing smoke from buildings, bombs, the dead… His gloved hand gripped Arthur’s hair tightly, and his expression was twisted, not resembling Gilbert at _all._

“Fuckin…. Nazi pig!” Arthur spat, both literally and figuratively in the Prussian man’s face, wanting to rip the waffen SS symbol off his former ally’s collar. He didn’t have time to follow it up with any other scathing comment before Gilbert dropped his face, and kicked.

Arthur was sure he swallowed a tooth, his whole body wracked with spasms from the blow. A body trained by far more battles than Arthur had ever _wanted_ to participate in rained another blow down on him, kicking him square in the stomach. 

Before… before, he could have probably held his own…..  
\--------------

“You bastard!” 

Gilbert found himself face first in mud, pushing himself up and wincing as wiping the mud off his face proved his jaw was going to be very sore from Arthur’s punch. He turned himself over, luckily out of the mud and onto some grass. 

“What the hell was that for?” he posed it as merely a question, not wanting to push his mouth too far before he could determine the extent of the damage.

Arthur nearly shook, clenching his hands at his sides. No. Gentleman. Be a gentleman, Arthur…. 

“You know exactly what it was for!” He dipped his head, obscuring his eyes. He was going to maintain the calm that he’d worked so hard to obtain. “Why the hell are you _helping_ him?!”

“This land is populated by strong German men.” Gilbert then proceeded to pick himself up, brushing his clothes off. “And where Germans are, I will protect.” A shrug. “Whoever I have to fight. Simple as that.”

An angered, guttural sound ripped itself out of Arthur’s throat, and suddenly he was wielding the saber at his side, pointing the blade directly at Gilbert. A smirk rested on his face, unlike what Gilbert was apparently expecting from the previous sound, but he pulled out his own blade, as if accepting the challenge.

“Then, unfortunately for you, you’ve made a dangerous enemy.” A laugh trailed after Arthur’s statement. Fine… fine! If everyone wanted to jump on the boat in such an eager display to leave him, he’d happily return to when he could topple any sea-faring craft he wanted! No one was as strong as he was, and if it took a little beating to show them, then he was fine with that! When he brought both Alfred and Gilbert to their knees, then everyone would shrink from him; even Francis would regret putting resources into this failed colony that thought it was so much more.

“Unfortunately for _you,_ I’m the only person that thinks that sounds _fun_!”

“I was hoping you would say that.” Arthur’s smirk deepened as he lunged towards Gilbert, hoping to take the lead in their fight. After all, he worked best in surprise attacks.

The blade was met by Gilbert’s own, and they pressed close, matching expressions as they scanned each other, looking for weakness. “You know, my Fritz has us lead surprise attacks all the time,” Gilbert crowed, bringing a foot up to push Arthur away with a swift shove to the stomach. 

Arthur merely skidded back and immediately pushed himself back at Gilbert again. Surprise tactics were not his only strong suit, after all. He practically leapt upon the German, tackling him straight to the ground, blade’s edge aiming for his throat. Gilbert had fast enough reflexes that he managed to bring his own blade up to stop it, but Arthur pressed his advantage, using most of his weight upon the blade.

However, Gilbert was not one to let disadvantage stand in his way, and he rocked, somehow throwing Arthur up and over him, rolling over to get back up. As for Arthur, he too got back to his feet, looking down his nose at Gilbert, pleased that he’d put him into such a weak position in the first place. It didn’t matter that he’d freed himself - it was inevitable that all struggled before the great England. 

“Have you learned, yet, that I’m not playing around here?” 

Gilbert shrugged, but managed to keep his guard up. “I think you’re the one that needs a lesson from all this.” He didn’t elaborate further, merely twirled his sword, and then sinking into a readied position. “Come then, if you’re so eager to teach me a lesson!”

Arthur stepped to the side, slowly moving to round his opponent, eyes steady. Gilbert matched the steps, but in the opposite direction, always keeping the distance between them. “Are you afraid?” The taunt was thrown between them like a duel glove.

“Ha, as if a sea dog in nobleman’s clothing could frighten me.” 

“We shall see, knight, if you are still protected by god!”  
\-------------

As Arthur curled in on himself, memories and Gilbert battered him from either side. This war… this war started by Gilbert’s younger brother, but waged by his two closest allies… Prussia and Japan… He considered letting his guard down completely, letting the Germans do whatever they wanted. He was the only sane one standing left. Even his greatest rival had fallen long before this; he had no idea where Francis was, if he was still alive. 

The only person who was left hated him… wouldn’t come to save him. He would have come already. If he cared.

“Looks like the cavalry’s arrived” Gilbert muttered under his breath, but somehow, through the pounding of the blood in his ears, the screaming of his people in his heart, Arthur managed to hear it. The blows suddenly stopped coming, Gilbert’s presence fading away as if he’d never been there.

And he was pulled into an awkward sitting positing, hissing violently at the pain the movement caused. 

“Arthur? Arthur!” That voice. 

He came… 

That realization washed over Arthur like the black overcoming his vision. 

He came.

**Author's Note:**

> Another one from 2009, also for my friend. I feel like I'm picking on Arthur just a bit too much in this one! Hopefully the jumps in era aren't too disorienting! 
> 
> Comments are always welcome! Thanks for reading!


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